Friday, August 15, 2014

Our weekend was planned… it’s funny how things you don’t
plan seem to interrupt those quiet, peaceful times just when you think you’re
getting ahead.

I had worked hard all week so that that I could get done
early on Friday, leaving us plenty of time to do the things we needed around
the house.

Saturday morning came and we
had a really nice time enjoying one another’s company while preparing for the
rest of the day’s chores.We weren’t
stressed about anything even though there was work to be done.Why was that?We had everything worked out and adjusted our activities
accordingly.It wouldn’t be long before
our plans were shattered, literally.

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Being the “good” wife that I am (bragging rights may be
infringed upon here), I was helping hubby in between some of my own duties.

It was a simple task of replacing the seal on the toilet.
Of course, hubby would have to fix it by removing the toilet and put it
aside so he could do the work.That’s
where I come in …hubby’s “help mate”.(Genesis 2:18 NKJV)

If you have ever replaced a toilet seal, you know that
when you do the bottom where it connects to the floor is quite sticky.In order not to damage the floor you need to
place the fixture on its side or on something.He decided to put it in the tub on cardboard.This way he could clean it and not harm
anything.

Everything was going fine.While he was out at the plumbing store getting
a part, I decided to “help” him (I know you see it coming don’t you …) by
washing the toilet while it was in the tub.This way it would be ready for him when he returned.

The task was done and he was ready to put the hopper back
in its rightful place.He bent over to
pick it up, but while lifting it slipped out of his hands crashing in the tub
breaking it beyond repair.Why did it
slip through his fingers?It was wet.I had thought to dry it, but figured it would
dry before he got back from the hardware store.

Immediately our day of fending forward leisurely was
halted and went into emergency plans instead.

Who
Has Time for Games?

After we both played the guilt blame game for a while (we
each blamed ourselves), we got on with the real problem. It was the weekend and we only had a few hours
to get this new problem solved. This caused another challenge since the
hardware/plumbing store and bank closed at noon; it was almost dinner time.

We bought the toilet less than two years ago at Lowe’s
which is one hundred miles away. Where would we get another one at this
hour?That was the first question.Then hubby remembered that a local hardware
store rearranged their store that week and started to carry new items.Guess what one of those items was?Yep … you guessed it.

Another thing we didn’t have in our town two years ago
was a national hardware store.The town
was thrilled when it opened last fall.

(You
can read about the grand opening hereif you
like.The grand opening was a blast, and
we were so blessed with hundreds of dollars in prizes! There’s a short video
that will make you smile if you want to see it.)

Now we have three places to get items such as this
(that’s when they are all open).Hubby
called around and checked on the stock, which is another problem.Small towns don’t keep much on their shelves
and carry only a few of each item.Both opened
stores had one item for the same price; however the new hardware store had
their brand on sale for ten dollars less.Now that we have tracked one down, how do we pay for it? A new toilet
wasn’t in the plan, let alone the budget.

Plastic
for Porcelain

Checking our resources, we had left out enough money for
gas, a few items and pet supplies with the rest going toward bills.All our bills but one are paid in cash,
anything else goes in the bank.We were
up to date, so nothing was left out for easy access.We had three choices: debit, credit card or
use the cash we needed for pet supplies and gas.

My first response was to use the credit card, because it
would be fast and we could figure out the money part on Monday.

As I went to get my card something in my
spirit said no.When I walked back out
in the kitchen I grabbed the bank envelope and recounted the ready cash.My husband asked me what I was thinking.I told him I didn’t think we were supposed to
use the plastic, but pay cash like always.

He said he felt the same thing and thought this was a
test from the Lord. It’s easy to trust in our credit cards or own ways of
sorting out unperceived situations, but to fully trust God sometimes is
hard.We decided not to use plastic for
the new porcelain and see how God would work out all the needs and details.

I Am
Your Father

All week long I watched to see God work out all the
details.He reminded me of who I was in His
family by asking me these questions. Our conversation was brief, but powerful.

The Holy Spirit: What did you have to do in order
for your father to give you food?

Me: Nothing.

What did you have to do in order for your father to
give you a place to sleep?

Nothing …

What did you have to do in order for him to buy you
clothes?

Nothing.

I was beginning to see His point.I knew this in my head, but didn’t see it so
clearly.

My earthly father provided the things I needed because he
is my father, not because I had done anything for him to earn those
things.When we did chores, it wasn’t
because he required them of me as a payment for what he did and provided for
me.Chores were to show me
responsibility and that rewards come to those who remain faithful.

I trusted my dad to provide whatever I needed, when I
needed them.Not once did I get that
confused with doing my chores. I understood what it meant and got fed, had
clothes and a roof over my head whether I did those chores or not.My trust for him doing those things was never
in question, because that’s what daddy’s do.

So if we can do that with our earthy guardians, why can’t
we do that with our Heavenly Father who gives us all things to enjoy?We don’t have to beg God for things He
already knows we need.The things that
are not needed at the moment will come in due time.

God doesn’t meet our needs because He has to, but because
He favors His children over those who are not His.It’s so easy to comprehend this in the
natural, but hard to grasp the concept when it pertains to our Heavenly Father.

So I said to the Lord, “OK, you promised to work this out for my good.I’m trusting in You to make that happen.”By now it wasn’t the porcelain throne that I
cared about, but everything that has happened recently in my life.

It was like God was saying, “Just be the kid and I’ll be the Dad.”No I don’t mean we’re not supposed to work or take care of our
responsibilities, but that we are to lean on our Heavenly Father in our journey
to make the right decisions by trusting Him to work all things out for our good
according to His plan.It doesn’t always
have to come down to a test, but simple trust.

Fragile
feelings

Being Dyslexic and visually challenged often tests my
physical abilities, but those tests seem as nothing compared to the emotional
ones.Does this mean that everything is
to be a test? No, but that our trusting God in all situations shouldn’t be
something that requires a test. Our obedience lies in our trust.

“For to this end I also wrote, that I might put
you (your faith in trusting God) to the test, whether you are obedient in all
things. (2 Corinthians 2:9 NKJV)

Our emotions are often like porcelain, where they are
precious, sensitive, fragile and get broken when we least expect it.This kind of test forces me to put my own
feelings under control in order to believe God’s Word regardless of the
circumstances.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and
lean not on your own understanding; In all
your ways acknowledge Him,

and He shall direct your paths.”(Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV)

The Bible instructs us to “Trust in the Lord with all our
heart and lean not to our own understanding.”We put all our trust into the problem and lean to our knowledge of
working out situations, when in fact our abilities are as limited as our
knowledge.

“Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His
understanding is infinite.”

(Psalms 147:5 NKJV)

In all your ways acknowledge Him (God) and He will direct
your path.We turn to God and say Oh
Lord, why did this happen, instead of saying, “OK God, I’m excited to see how
you’re going to work this one out for my good.”Sure it may be easy to do this with something as petty as a new toilet,
but if we aren’t doing it for the small things you can be certain we won’t
acknowledge the Lord when it comes to the tough stuff.

James 1 tells us not to be surprised or even thrown when
tests and trials come into our lives. In fact, we are to expect them for three
reasons.

The first is logical
to a believer; satan wants to have his way with us.

Second: tests show us
our true trust relationship with God.

Third: tests and trials
let God show Himself powerful in our world of doubt and unbelief.

No one likes tests, but they are needed.Tests are a way of showing measurements in
our learning in all areas of life, not just in a textbook.Without them we have no way of knowing how
much we have achieved or what needs to be learned.

Let me ask you this: How much do you really trust God? To
what measures are you willing to go in trusting God? At what point do you bail
on Him and resort to your own knowledge?

This Week's Challenge:
The Measure of Trust Test

Today, August 15th is National Relaxation Day.We’re not only going to rest our bodies from hard work this weekend, but put our mind, emotions and thoughts to rest concerning the cares of this world.

“Casting all your care upon God, for He cares for you.” (1Peter 5:7 NKJV)

Knowing that trials and tests will come, we will have to
make some decisions that go against what we want to do in the natural.

When “tempted” to
make snap decisions based on emotions, don’t. Talk to the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit what He wants you to do. Trust Him to guide you into the right thing. Wait to see
how God will work it out for your good. Then you can tell others of His faithfulness.